28 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’ worth $20 billion in treasure to be raised from seabed

A treasure ship described as the “holy grail of shipwrecks” will reportedly be lifted from the sea floor where it has lay for more than 300 years. Now, the Colombian government has said it will be raised before President Gustavo Petro ends his term of office in 2026.

The shipwreck containing up to 200 tons of gold, silver, and emeralds could be floating on the Caribbean within months after Colombia declared a national mission to recover the treasure.

The ship’s cargo of gold, silver, gemstones, and antiques is speculatively valued at up to $20 billion.

The San José was a 64-gun, three-mast galleon launched by Spain in 1698. The galleon was part of the fleet of King Philip V when it was sunk by the Royal Navy in 1708 during the War of Spanish Succession. Now, the San Jose galleon has been declared a national mission, 315 years after a ship off the Colombian port of Cartagena tragically sank.

On board, not only were there treasures valued at approximately $20 billion in today’s currency, there were also 600 sailors, with only 11 survivors among them, reports The Daily Mail.

Eleven million gold coins are thought to have been on board. Photo: EPA
Eleven million gold coins are thought to have been on board. Photo: EPA

In December 2015, Colombia declared a team of navy divers had found the San José, footage of which found its way to the news. The well-preserved shipwreck was reportedly found in 3,100 feet of water, with much of its cargo visibly intact.

So far, gold ingots, Chinese ceramics and tableware, and the ship’s cannons, which were cast in Seville in 1655, have been discovered in the depths. Of the most interest of course is the ship’s coffers of 11 million gold coins.

President Gustavo Petro ordered his administration to exhume the “holy grail of shipwrecks” – the Spanish galleon San José – from the bottom of the Caribbean Sea as soon as possible.

Petro hopes to bring the 62-gun, three-masted ship to the surface before his term is up in 2026 and has requested a public-private partnership be formed to see it through, Minister of Culture Juan David Correa told Bloomberg last week.

However, multiple parties have laid claim to the cargo, one of whom has brought Colombia to arbitration in London.

Vanity Fair reports that a group of U.S. investors operating as Glocca Morra, later Sea Search Armada, claim to have signed a salvage contract entitling them to half the ship’s cargo in 1979. The group alleges it found the San José in 1981 at a depth of around 660 feet, and provided Colombia officials with coordinates. Colombia disputes this, claiming the shipwreck was not found at the coordinates provided.

Spain, which originally owned the vessel and its forcibly extracted cargo, is also said to have attempted to claim the bounty. Also, the Qhara Qhara indigenous group in present-day Bolivia says they should get the treasure since Spanish colonizers forced their ancestors to mine some of the precious metals they say were aboard.

Cover Photo: Colombian Armada

Related Articles

Oldest Known Human Viruses Discovered In 50,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Remains

15 May 2024

15 May 2024

Researchers from the Federal University of São Paulo have managed to uncover the oldest known human viruses in a set...

Beehives of Saudi Arabia’s Thought to be Over 1,000 Years Old

20 July 2024

20 July 2024

Located in the majestic Sarawat Mountain range in western Saudi Arabia, the ancient beehives in the Maysan Governorate constitute a...

Ming-era two shipwrecks found in South China Sea

23 May 2023

23 May 2023

In the South China Sea, two ancient shipwrecks that date back to the middle of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) were...

Archaeologists have discovered 85 ancient tombs, a watchtower, and a temple site in Egypt’s Gabal al-Haridi region

5 May 2022

5 May 2022

The Egyptian archaeological mission discovered 85 tombs, a watchtower, and a temple site in the Gabal al-Haridi area of Sohag,...

Ancient Celtic Bone Pen Found in Southern Germany

14 December 2024

14 December 2024

From August to October this year, the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (LAD) in the Stuttgart Regional Council...

Archaeologists have discovered sandstone blocks belonging to a pharaoh’s temple covered with hieroglyphs in Sudan

2 March 2023

2 March 2023

Polish archaeologists have discovered sandstone blocks belonging to a pharaoh’s temple covered with hieroglyphs during excavations at Old Dongola in...

When the waters receded, the mounds of Pulur Sakyol and Yeniköy, bearing the traces of Kura-Aras Culture, came to light

8 December 2021

8 December 2021

The important cultural areas of Pulur Sakyol and Yeniköy mounds, which bear the traces of Kura-Aras Culture, represented by kurgans...

Unprecedented necropolis site found in Cappadocia, one of Türkiye’s most important tourism centers

8 July 2024

8 July 2024

In Cappadocia, located in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye, known for its unique moon-like landscape, underground cities, cave churches,...

148 Ancient Tombs Spanning 2,100 Years Unearthed in the Construction Area of the Zoo

18 August 2024

18 August 2024

An ancient burial site with 148 tombs,  spanning over 2,100 years, has been discovered on the construction site of the...

Rare Ancient Bone Game found in Israel “Astragali”

18 August 2022

18 August 2022

Archaeologists have found a rare assemblage of animal knucklebones known as astragali used in ancient Greek games and divination in...

The Largest Ancient Floor Mosaic in Cappadocia and Central Anatolia Region Uncovered -600 square meters-

12 November 2023

12 November 2023

The structure with the largest floor mosaic in Cappadocia and Central Anatolia Region was unearthed during the excavations carried out...

Evidence of Necromancy during Roman era in the Te’omim Cave, Jerusalem Hills: Oil Lamps, Spearheads, and Skulls

14 July 2023

14 July 2023

Te’omim Cave in the Jerusalem Hills may once have served as a local oracle where people communed with the dead...

Dark secrets of Korea’s famous Wolseong palace complex are unearthed

8 September 2021

8 September 2021

The remains of an adult woman were discovered at the base of the Wolseong palace in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province,...

Evil-Wisher Well: Ancient curse tablets 2,500-year-old found in a well in Athens

14 July 2022

14 July 2022

30 ancient curse tablets were found at the bottom of a 2500-year-old well in ancient Athens. In 2020, Archaeologists from...

Archaeologists deciphered the Sabaean inscription on a clay jar finds link between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

3 April 2023

3 April 2023

Archaeologists deciphered a partially preserved inscription that was found on the neck of a large jar dated back to the...